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Top climate scientist to address Welsh Lib Dem conference

12 Oct 2006

One of the world’s leading experts on climate change, Sir John Houghton [1], will address a fringe meeting at the conference of the Welsh Liberal Democrats at Aberystwyth on Saturday (October 14th). The meeting is being organised by Friends of the Earth Cymru and its representative, Gordon James, will also be on the platform.

Sir John Houghton is expected to present delegates with an up-to-date account of the scientific research into climate change and to outline its impacts globally and, more specifically, on Wales. He will stress the urgent need for appropriate action to both reduce emissions of climate changing gases, such as carbon dioxide, and to adapt to the impacts.

Gordon James will outline a number of the policies that politicians in Wales need to pursue to address the problem. Friends of the Earth’s Climate Campaign, the Big Ask, is calling for MPs to support a new law which would require the Government to reduce the UK’s emissions of carbon dioxide by at least three per cent per year.

Gordon James said:

“We are very fortunate to have in Wales one of the world’s leading experts on the most important issue of the day and we are very pleased that Sir John has agreed to address this meeting.

“Climate change is rapidly rising up the political agenda as people become much more aware of the threat it poses to existing and future generations. Almost daily, we hear of reports that show that the impacts of climate change are happening sooner and are more severe than anticipated.

“Politicians are going to have to move on from the rhetoric and take radical action soon if the UK is to play its part in reducing emissions. We can already apply many of the solutions, such as major improvements in energy efficiency, substantial renewable energy developments and cleaner forms of transport, but these have not received adequate political support.”

NOTES

[1] Sir John Houghton is a former chairman of the Scientific Assessment Group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Chairman of the UK’s Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, Vice-President of the World Meteorological Organization, President of the Royal Meteorological Society and Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Oxford University.